Thaal
Hyper-intelligence psionic beings credited with the discovery of Altspace travel. Tales of "little green men" abducting, experimenting on and probing humans on ancient earth were inspired by Thaal scouting activities. The Thaal hold a vested interest in preserving sapient life, and have intervened to preserve countless species from extinction.
In the 26th century the Thaal helped Humans escape their doomed homeworld and introduced them to the Galactic Enforcement Agency.
While extremely long lived, Thaal are incapable of biological reproduction with their own kind. As such, they breed other species. Thaal conduct thorough sexual experiments on potential breeding matches before insemination. GEA law prohibits abducting specimens for this purpose, but rogue Thaal are still known to operate outside the law--especially on non-interstellar species. Convicted criminals in GEA territory may opt to serve their sentences as Thaal breeding stock instead of imprisonment or hard labor.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Thaal range between 3'6" and 6" depending on their lineage. They have enlarged heads to accommodate their large brains, and large eyes--completely dark with no distinguishable pupils, irises or whites. Thaal can have nearly any skin tone, but the most common are grey or greyish-green. In some lineages, their skin is tough or rubbery, but there are a wide variety of lineages. They are bipedal, normally with thin arms and legs. Their hands have three fingers and one opposable thumb, but are particularly long and nimble.
Genetics and Reproduction
If anyone knows why the Thaal cannot reproduce sexually with eachother, they aren't telling. It's been this way for thousands, perhaps millions, of years. They can only reproduce via cloning, which often causes replicative fading, or by breeding other species. If they breed sexually with another species, the resulting offspring is usually a hybrid. Otherwise, they can use a variety of biological techniques to implant a host creature with genetic material that produces a Thaal offspring (albeit modified by the genetic traits of the implanted entity). The Thaal only use this technique on species that will not be significantly harmed by implantation and birthing ; ie, there's no chestbursting going on here.
Growth Rate & Stages
Thaal reach maturity in roughly 18 years -- almost identical to human maturation -- but they can live to be hundreds of years old.
Ecology and Habitats
Cloned Thaal prefer low-gravity environments, as their bone structure tends to grow more fragile with each replicative cycle. Hybrids and xeno-born Thaal vary their requirements based on their lineage. All of them, however, gain sustenance from the brain waves of other creatures. Absorbing these brain waves can be disorienting, fatiguing or cause unusual sensory experiences in the subject, but in nearly all cases it causes no permanent harm. Overfeeding on a creature to the degree that they suffer damage is a Thaal cultural taboo.
Additional Information
Facial characteristics
Large dark eyes, no visible ears, barely visible nose, no hair, no lips.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Throughout the galaxy
Average Intelligence
Above human average
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Thaal have excellent eyesight, and are capable of seeing in the dark. Their hearing is average and their olfactory senses are significantly weaker than humans'. Thaal require very little food to eat and thus have an underdeveloped sense of taste. Their tactile senses are heightened, critical for using their delicate nimble fingers.
Nearly all Thaal possess extrasensory capabilities. Basic empathy (ability to sense mental states) and psi-sense (ability to detect brainwaves) are most common, but some Thaal are capable of mind reading and more advanced feats of ESP.
Lifespan
600 years
Average Height
5"
Average Weight
5"
Average Length
Very light
Average Physique
Often physically frail
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